A dinosaur vanishes on Halloween night. Then, a dog walker found it

A Florida museum has been reunited with an animatronic dinosaur that went missing from an exhibit on Halloween night.

The dinosaur is a 6-foot-long, 60-pound velociraptor, Charles Zidar, events director at the Museum of Archaeology, Paleontology & Science in New Port Richey, Florida, wrote in an email to McClatchy News.

A man walking his three dogs on Nov. 3 came across the dinosaur in an alleyway, a spokeswoman for the museum told McClatchy News. The dog walker saw the animatronic and recognized it from news reports.

Police responded and brought the dinosaur back to the museum, she said. It has minor damage to its eye and some of its wiring, but it can be repaired.

The museum is naming the dinosaur “Dude” after the pit bull mix that helped find it, the spokeswoman said.

Velociraptors were small, carnivorous dinosaurs known for their sharp claws. They appear frequently as hunters in the three Jurassic Park movies and are principal characters in the Jurassic World series.

The museum’s missing dino was part of an outdoor exhibit that is scheduled to open in December and run through February. It had been standing on a trailer with other dinosaurs as part of a promotional scene before it was taken, Zidar wrote.

The exhibit “Dinos & Dragons” will include life-size dinosaurs , virtual reality experiences, holograms, rides and other attractions, according to the museum’s website.

New Port Richey is on the west coast of Florida, about 40 miles from Tampa.

Zidar said he believes the dinosaur may have been stolen as part of a Halloween prank. A cut strap was found near where the dinosaur disappeared.

The dino is valued at around $6,000, according to Zidar.

This story was originally published November 3, 2022 at 11:50 AM with the headline "A dinosaur vanishes on Halloween night. Then, a dog walker found it."